Since any organization of musical sound derives its final character from the rhythmic crucible which surrounds it, Evans' innovation in the time factor of jazz Simultaneousl[r]
4 ImprOVisation Jazz ~ ~ Contemporary Piano Styles' By John Mehegan Introduction by Bill Evans Preface by Tom Glazer AMSCO MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANy JAZZ IMPROVlSATION VOLUME IV Contemporary Piano styles JAZZ IMPROVISATION VOLUME IV Contemporary Piano Styles John Mehegan Watson-Guptill Publications/New York ~ Amsco Publications New York/London/Sydney To my family: Gay, Tara, Sean, Sophie and Bronson Copyright © 1965 by Watson-Guptill Publications, a division of Billboard Publications Inc., 1515 Broadway New York N.Y 10036 ISBN 0-8230-2574-8 Exclusive distributors to the MusiC Trade Music Sales Corporation 24 E 22 Street New York N.V 10010 Music Sales limited 8/9 Frith Street London W1V 5TZ Music Sales Ply Limited 27 Clarendon Street Artarmon Sydney NSW 2064 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 58-13525 All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or used.in any form or by any means-graphic, electronic, or mechanical including photocopying recording taping or information storage and retrieval systems-without written permission of the publisher 12 13 14 15/90 89 88 PREFACE For twenty years or more, I have spent most of my working time as a singer of folksongs But I have never been able to withstand my fascination with all music, so that at times I have written popular songs, composed orchestral scores for films and T.V., played tuba and bass fiddle as a young man in bands and orchestras, sung in church choirs and madrigal groups - and in between, listened hard to music from preGregorian chant to post-Stravinsky It behooved me some years ago to take another musical busman's holiday and study jazz piano with Johnny Mehegan My ears sprang up almost literally; I had been listening to jazz, I discovered, without hearing it I found out why I really didn't get too moved by its most important element:improvisation It is one thing to like the singing of, say, Billie Holiday; it is something else entirely to understand what the musicians behind her are doing with the underlying melodic, hannonic and rhythmic structure, without which there would be no musical Billie Holiday It is this structure which is jazz, no matter how pretty Peggy Lee is, or how many teeth Louis Annstrong shows when he grins, or how tricky the acrobatics of Gene Krupa or how many prizes awarded by jazz magazines Johnny Mehegan has built a unique musical monument History remembers with exceptional honor those men gifted enough to sift and winnow the complex variables, of human knowledge into a Code of Law This Johnny has done with these melodic, hannonic and rhythmic laws of consonant jazz improvisation, and, in four books, has given it, at long last, a "habitation and a name." Tom Glazer May, 1965 CONTENTS Preface by Tom Glazer Introduction by Bill Evans 11 INTRODUCTION 13 Oscar Peterson - "Joy Spring" Bill Evans - "Peri's Scope" 19 SECI'lON I 29 OSCAR PETERSON General The @ Form - "Stella By Starlight" The Fonn - "J Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You" The Combined @ Forms - "I Wish I Were In Love Again," inG Left-Hand Major Voicing - "I'n Take Romance," in F Left-Hand Dominant VOicings - ''I'm In The Mood For Love," in Db Left-Hand Minor Voicings - "I Get A Kick Out Of You," in Eb Left-Hand Half-diminished Voicings - "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To," in C Left-Hand Diminished Voicings - Inversions - "From This Moment On," in Ab 10 Modulation - @ and @ Forms 11 Alternate @ and @ Forms - "Embraceable You," in G 12 The Altered Dominant @ and @ Forms - The Dominant Form - "By Myself," in F 13 The Suspended Minor, Half-diminished and Diminished @ and @ Forms - "Better Luck Next Time," in F 14 Melodic Adjustment - @ and Forms - "Poor Butterfly," in Db 15 Right-Hand Modes with @ and ® Forms - "Ten Cents A Dance," in Eb 16 @ and Forms Summation - "Right As The Rain," in C đ đ â đ đ 49 50 55 59 61 63 65 70 77 83 96 108 119 125 133 SECTION II 17 Solo Piano (General) - "But Not For Me," in Eb 18 Root-Voicing Patterns, and ® Forms - "Be My Love," in G 19 Root-Voicing Patterns, ® and Forms - Ballad - "My Ship," inF 20 Root-Voicing Patterns, ® and ® Forms - Bass Fifths "Where Are You?" in G 21 Root-Voicing Patterns, and ® Forms - Minor tonality "You're My Thrill," in D minor 22 Root-Voicing Patterns, ® and ® Forms - Superimposition "This Is New," in Bb 23 Root-Voicing Patterns, and ® Forms - 8/8 time - -I Fall In Love Too Easily," in Eb 24 Root-Voicing Patterns, and ® Forms - 12/8 time ''Twelve-Bar Blues," in Bb 25 Root-Voicing Patterns, and ® Forms - Bounce Tempo Syncopation - "Rose Room," in Ab 26 Root-Voicing Patterns, ® and Forms - Bounce Tempo Syncopated Swing Bass - "Ain't Misbehavin'," in Eb 27 Root-Voicing Patterns, and Forms - Up-tempo Syncopation - "The Lady Is A Tramp," in C 28 Root-Voicing Patterns, ® and Forms Up-tempo Syncopation (without Roots) - "Limehouse Blues," in Ab 29 Root-Voicing Patterns, ® and Forms - Improvised "Peace" in Bb 30 Scale-Tone Conversion to and Forms - "I Concentrate On You," in Eb 31 "Walking" Bass Lines - "You Stepped Out Of A Dream," in C 32 'Walking" Bass Lines - "Blue Room," in F 33 "Walking" Bass Lines - ''The Way You Look tonight," in Eb 34 'Walking" Bass Lines - "Fine And Dandy," in F 35 Left-Hand Arpeggiation - The Scale-Tone Tenth Chords Eighth-note - 'We'll Be Together Again," in C 36 Left-Hand Arpeggiation (R-5-9-3-7 and reverse) - Eighth-note "Jet," in Eb 37 Left-Hand Arpeggiation - Mixed elements - Eighth-note triplet "Sometimes I'm Happy," in F 38 Left-Hand Arpeggiation - Mixed Elements - Sixteenth-note "It Never Entered My Mind," in F 39 Left-Hand Arpeggiation and Forms and Modes "Ruby," in C ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® 141 143 147 149 151 155 157 162 168 174 177 182 184 188 192 195 197 201 202 208 219 222 225 SECTION ill 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 'Comping (Accompanying) - "I Love You'," in F Turnarounds - "Down By The River" in Ab Building a Bass Line - "Small Hotel," in Ab Modified @ and ® Forms - Modem "Funky" Piano Harmonic Distortion The Perfect and Augmented Fourth Chord Structures @ and Forms with Shearing Blocks The Modal Fourths - Minor Blues The Modal Fragments ® 229 235 238 240 244 246 267 277 282 ...JAZZ IMPROVlSATION VOLUME IV Contemporary Piano styles JAZZ IMPROVISATION VOLUME IV Contemporary Piano Styles John Mehegan Watson-Guptill Publications/New York ~ Amsco... Publications Inc., 1515 Broadway New York N.Y 1003 6 ISBN 0-8230-2574-8 Exclusive distributors to the MusiC Trade Music Sales Corporation 24 E 22 Street New York N.V 1001 0 Music Sales limited 8/9 Frith... Line - "Small Hotel," in Ab Modified @ and ® Forms - Modem "Funky" Piano Harmonic Distortion The Perfect and Augmented Fourth Chord Structures @ and Forms with Shearing Blocks The Modal Fourths